A recent survey by Aviva USA, in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, found that two out of three men reported they are stressed, with financial situation being the top contributing factor for a third of the men surveyed. Family/relationships are a distant second-leading factor. In addition to the linkage between stress and finances, 45 percent of men also reported gaining weight over the past 10 years. Only 19 percent of men reported losing weight during the same time period.
Four out of five men consider themselves to be in good to excellent health, despite nearly half of them having gained weight over the past 10 years and two out of three saying they feel stressed.
“Studies have found that, on average, men tend to push off doctor visits longer than women, often avoiding going to the doctor until a major health problem arises,” said Dr. Philip Hagen, medical director of Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth and vice chair of the Division of Preventive and Occupational Medicine at Mayo Clinic. “In this survey, we’re seeing some of these same avoidance tendencies among male respondents. Men overall described themselves as being in good health, while at the same time reporting health risk factors, such as weight gain and high levels of stress.”
The correlation between weight and stress is pronounced. Specifically, men who indicate a large decrease in weight tend to be less affected by stress. However, men who are extremely stressed are more than three times as likely to have a dramatic increase in weight over the last 10 years compared to other male respondents. Moreover, men who are extremely stressed are five times more likely to experience significant weight gain compared to unstressed men.
Aviva USA surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults – men and women – on their health habits and financial preparedness to uncover how these factors impact their overall well-being. The survey was conducted by Ipsos. The sample was representative of the general U.S. population based on region, gender, age and household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
